I've been here 6 months so hardly one enjoying the good old days!! I'm actually trying to offer an opinion from someone who speaks from experience...not someone speculating on being here and what it might mean. If you have kids, yes you need an education allowance. And people who've just arrived (2 weeks ago) have received their relocation allowance. If Adveti plan to stop these then do think hard about what it might mean for you. As for 12 month rent up front - really! I've heard the rumours too...why would you do that? It's not necessary and obviously no-one can afford to do that....so they don't. We're EFL teachers not oil execs!! I know no-one who does that, and believe me I know quite a few Adveti teachers out here. Most people pay rent every 3 months, which yes this is tough at first, but it's the way it is.
Anyway, my point's been proven about forum users - if anyone wants some genuine advice get in touch.

I lived there for 11 years, so I do know the market, as far as flats go....problem with the most recent advertisement for Adveti is, it's not really Advetti at all...they advertised as such, and I do know the place, so it didn't sound so bad, however, upon arrival for the interview they told us it had been changed to MOE, ...it's 21k, no housing, and no relocation. You get a week in a hotel, which according to them is enough time to find a flat? I remember moving flats a few years ago, it took me 6 months to find a decent flat within my budget, my budget was then 86k (for housing only!)...so, I don't know, I'm still trying to make the decision as I can't afford to lose money. I lost a lot by selling my furniture for next to nothing when I lost my job in June. Problem is, not a whole lots of jobs here in good ole Canada...
Also, on the contract there's a person listed, if you have any questions, email this person which I did, oh my, the recruiters were at me right away, "you can't email MOE!" I' said, "it's right there, email if any questions>"..anyhow, that's kind of sketchy also, you can't ask the company who'd be hiring you any questions???
I'm trying to get back to AD, but I donit' know...also, I asked them where I could be posted, initially they had AD listed, but no more! It's now Sharjah and RAK, Ajman, etc, I told them no way, no how I'd be going to Sharjah
They also, (recruiters) expect u to send everything pronto, while the folks in the UAE take their good old time, then all of a sudden it's. ...oh, never mind, same old story...

I've been in AD a few years and I pay rent up front and so does everyone I know. The non-tawtheek flats are illegal ie cheap rooms in villas and you are not protected by the law then if the landlord sells up or cuts off the electricity. Even if you get a 3 cheques pa deal (more expensive) you still are legally bound to honour them if you sign a 1 year tenancy. Bouncing a cheque here is a criminal offence. My deposits and commission were about $3000. I went Ikea on the furniture so didn't spend too much on that. I wouldn't bring my kids here on an Adveti salary. I think even with a non-working wife, you'd save very little in AD. Of course, it's cheaper in RAK etc. With all the bills my studio costs a bit over 90k a year.

With regards to housing, it seems that a lot of teachers are staying in apartment hotels for the convenience and to avoid year long contracts. There are lots of thise types of hotels available throughout the emirates.

[quote="dragonpiwo"]This means they cannot get a res visa for their spouses. OK if you're single.....[/quote]

Not so. The hotel-apartment will provide a 'contract' which states that your lease is 3/6/12 months or whatever which is sufficient for visa purposes as it proves you are not living on the street or in a car or on the beach. The rent can be paid monthly. A small discount is available for paying quarterly, a slightly larger but not significant discount is available for annual prepayment.

If a person was considering to make a move to the UAE, which of these companies would you recommend working for and why (not)?

ADVETI, ADEC, MOE, IAT.

Is it true that none of these 'companies' hire ESL teachers directly? Which agency is responsible for hiring ESL teachers for ADVETI?

PS

My understanding is that if it's a high school job IAT and ADVETI are combined - your visa is issued by the relevant body and you're paid by them but in the schools you will teach both IAT (ATHS?) and ADVETI (STS?) students.

The people I know working in the system generally enjoy it but it seems to vary a lot from campus to campus.

ADEC teachers tell me they have have less pressure than the ADVETI and IAT teachers but that the students are harder to manage in terms of behavior and ability. They also seem to get slightly longer vacations but that may be because I only know elementary ADEC teachers and their students have different/no exams.